What first inspired you to become a storyteller, and when did you realise you wanted to write novels?
I was always an imaginative child, and creating stories either on paper or in the make-believe games I played was a very natural thing. My parents loved reading, so we would read books together and my mum used to take me to the local library, which I adored. It was an old, quiet Victorian building with polished wooden floors and smelt like a place of great antiquity. It was like being transported to another world when I stepped inside those doors. Something made me want to tell the stories instead of just consuming them.
I was brought up in a folkie household, so my dad used to sing a lot of folk songs and we went to a lot of folk events. Folk songs tell a story. Sometimes they’re ballads that report an event and were taken from town to town and sung like musical newspapers; sometimes they tell of difficult times and frustrations. Sometimes people sang in celebration or commemoration. But whatever they do, there’s always a story. This is why I enjoyed weaving folk songs into my novel – the two complement each other perfectly.
I’m also a children’s author, starting when my children were tiny. I wrote picture books, then chapter books, then middle-grade novels as they aged and now with two of my children being adults, it seemed the perfect time to write my first novel for adults.
How do stories usually come to you—do you begin with characters or the plot?
Stories come to me in many different ways. Sometimes a title will drop into my mind, as it did with The House At The Edge of Magic, and then I had to work out what the story was behind it all. This often happened with stories I wrote as a child.
Sometimes a character will form in my mind – usually linked to a theme. They will usually bring with them some kind of emotional weight, and a personal problem they need to work on. I have a couple in my mind at the moment and I need to spend some time with them and figure out what their story is! Other times, the concept comes first, as it did with The Players. I knew that a story about a troupe of marginalised strolling players had huge potential.
For me, plot is usually the last thing to come, often while I’m writing the book! I will always understand the story before I write – what the concept is, what the characters want and need, and the voice of the book, but the actual way the story progresses is often a surprise to me until it’s written. The Players is an exception. It started life as a screenplay, so I had the bones of the story already, but even then, when I started writing it as a novel, I discovered many new things that I wasn’t expecting.
Several different things fed into this idea and brought it to life. My childhood was one of folk festivals, singing upstairs in pubs, performing folk dances and Mummers plays in towns and country fairs. Being part of that folk world was like stepping back in time. The music, the banter, the smell of ale, the ploughman’s lunch… I adored it as a child and fell in love with that world. So much at its heart is the same as the strolling players experienced, and it comes with a passion and a merriment: an absolute love of what you’re doing.
What was the main inspirations behind this book?
My dad had always wanted to be an actor, but he never really got the chance, although he would still perform in every way he could. We would go to the theatre sometimes and he take me to the stage door to meet actors and performers. I used to make up my own plays and perform them in assembly at my junior school – at one point, there was a new play every week! So storytelling, plays and acting all became very linked in my mind.
Personally, I’m a little bit of a restless person, perhaps because I have ADHD! I love being on the move and bouncing from one place to the next, so to me, it made sense to give my players a similar outlook. And having different locations to play with offers a lot of potential for exciting storytelling.
Research for such a historical novel sounds like it could be daunting. What role did research play in your creative process?
Research is so important for authenticity and inspiration. I visited locations, spoke to people, and read as much as I could. Finding books and information on strolling players in the early eighteenth century was a particular challenge. There are many references to established theatres and well-known actors, but I was interested in the ordinary, unknown people following their dreams and living hand-to-mouth. I wanted to discover and showcase their voices, as they have become forgotten over time. Most accounts of these lesser-known troupes are lost or were never recorded, but there were wonderful nuggets I discovered along the way, and some helped shaped the plot – for example, I stumbled upon a throwaway comment about a troupe of players competing with a tightrope act in the same town. And that gave me a great idea.
I also read a brilliant book called The Itinerant, Or Memoirs of An Actor by Samuel J. Ryley, written in the early 1800s. He was a strolling player and the book is full of comedic anecdotes. People absolutely knew how to have a laugh in the past, even though historical fiction is usually presented as very serious. The Players has a lot of comedy and Ryley’s book inspired me to be bold with it.
Because there is so little written about the impoverished, smaller troupes of players, I had a lot of creative freedom. I used my knowledge of how the larger, more established companies worked to inform how my players’ company might run. Research showed me how hard it was for patronised or established strolling players, and it would be even more so for my struggling troupe. I knew they would need huge motivation to keep going and this fed into developing characters: why did it matter so much to each troupe member to persevere? Exploring the different characters’
motivation and back story was so enjoyable, and brought a real richness, emotion and relatability to the concept of strolling players. I love ‘found family’ stories, and bringing together a diverse troupe (in every sense!) to live together and work together is an absolute dream.
In The Players: Act 1, there are obviously a lot of Shakespeare references. What is your personal experience with Shakespeare?
I hadn’t really come across Shakespeare until I was 15 years old, and at secondary school. I had missed so much of my secondary education due to having ME as a child. I went back full-time when I was 15, and we did A Midsummer Night’s Dream. My English teacher was fond of drama so it was very theatrical and we would act out the parts. I loved it – Shakespeare as it was meant to be done. I had done a lot of reading while I was ill, and started getting into adult historical fiction when I was 12 years old. I think that, plus the love of folk, plays and the past, meant that Shakespeare was the perfect creative playmate. I went on to study Shakespeare in my English Literature A-level, and in my English Literature degree at university. I love the colour, energy and humour of the plays.
What was the biggest challenge writing the book?
This is the first book I’ve written for adults, so I think adjusting from writing for children has been a steep learning curve. I love a challenge and pushing myself creatively to experiment and try new things, so this book has been a real pleasure to write. I’ve tried things in The Players that I’ve never tried before in my writing, but always with a clear purpose in mind. I have to know why I am doing something in a certain way and what I am trying to achieve with it. I’ve really enjoyed writing for an adult readership, and I’d definitely like to continue.
Looking ahead, do you plan to continue writing this world? What are your future projects?
This will be a trilogy, so I’m writing the three acts of the Players’ story. The characters have further to go, in every respect and I’m so looking forward to walking beside them once again in their colourful world. I’ve already started writing scenes of book two because I couldn’t wait. When I write ahead like that, the scenes are usually the emotional and strongly thematic ones, and I’m looking forward to exploring more. The storyworld is set up; the voice of the book is established; the characters have strong voices and will gladly lead me on… I think I’ll just listen, observe and walk beside them for a while as the next stage of the story unfolds.
I have a new funny fantasy trilogy for children coming out next year and a list of about ten other books I want to write for both adults and children, so I have plenty to keep me busy! Lately, I’ve been writing two books simultaneously – one for adults, one for children – so I’m hoping to keep this up to try and get through the list! You can find out more at http://www.amysparkes.co.uk
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
1. Write what you’re passionate about. I think the love and enthusiasm will help your story feel authentic.
2. Know your characters inside out. Understand their hurts, their secrets, their dreams – all those experiences that have made them the person they are. Think about the things that have shaped them in childhood, and the key relationships that matter to them. It all helps to create a fully-rounded, believable and flawed character.
3. Trust your voice. Writing is such a vulnerable thing – you are essentially exposing yourself on the page. But your writing is stronger when it reflects YOU. It brings your individuality, your passion, your experiences, and that creates authentic and engaging writing. Not everyone will completely click with it, but no-one clicks with every book all the time. Just be yourself and know that that’s enough.
Thank you so much for the interview.
You can check out The Players: Act 1 here!